The Obama administration says a new technical problem is preventing last-minute users from signing up on the government's health insurance website. The new problem comes as traffic is surging on deadline day.

Health and Human Services spokesman Aaron Albright says technicians have identified an issue affecting consumers who are trying to create new accounts.

In California, the Covered California deadline is at midnight. Thousands of people are rushing to beat the clock to sign up for healthcare. Covered California is the state's version of the health exchange.

Officials said it's the last chance before the uninsured are forced to pay a fine under the Affordable Care Act.

In Sacramento, a 17-hour enroll-a-thon starts at 7 a.m. and goes until midnight.

It's being held at the office of SEIU United Healthcare Workers at 1911 F street.

By 6 a.m., there was a handful of people waiting outside for the doors to open and for some one-on-one guidance.

The health fair is free and open to anyone who still needs to sign up for low-cost health insurance.

The executive director of Covered Sacramento said more than a million people have already signed up, but some say the online form is a bit complicated. Because of the difficulty, some say they waited until the last minute to sign up.

There is a short grace period to complete the form for those who already started.

But those who don't sign up by the midnight deadline will face a penalty and may no longer qualify for rebates.

Those coming out today will need to bring ID, proof of address, income taxes for 2012 or 2013 and proof of citizenship.

5 Things to Know about health insurance sign-ups

What to consider as the first open enrollment period in California under the federal Affordable Care Act comes to an end:

1. TODAY'S DEADLINE

People who start the application process by 11:59 p.m. Monday have until 11:59 p.m. on April 15 to complete the process and select a health insurance plan.

2. STARTING THE PROCESS

Consumers must complete several steps to be counted as starting the application process, beginning with filling out all required information on the "Apply for Benefits" page and clicking "Continue." Go to www.coveredca.com or call one of the customer service centers. Paper applications must be postmarked by Monday.

3. ENROLLMENT TO DATE

As of 2 a.m. Monday, 1.2 million Californians had signed up for individual policies through Covered California. Another 1.1 million who started applications were determined to be likely eligible for Medi-Cal, the state's version of Medicaid.

4. MISSED DEADLINE

People who miss today's enrollment deadline for health insurance coverage will pay a tax penalty of $95 or 1 percent of their annual income above the tax-filing threshold of $10,150, whichever is higher. The penalty rises in the future. The next enrollment period starts Nov. 15 for coverage starting in 2015.

5. GETTING INSURANCE AFTER THE DEADLINE

Medi-Cal enrollment for those who qualify is open throughout the year. Others who miss the deadline for individual coverage can get insurance later in the year if they get married, move, have a baby or adopt a child, lose their current coverage or have a change in income that would affect their eligibility for financial assistance.